Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Plea from the SPCA

TOO MANY CATS, NOT ENOUGH HOMESSPCA calls urgent community meeting to “foster” hope for abandoned cats

Drop by the SPCA these days and you will see a sight that is becoming all too familiar: Cats, cats and more cats. Unfortunately adoptions are also way down which is creating a hopelessly mounting situation of simply put: TOO MANY CATS.

This week alone, the shelter was caring for over 200 cats with under 10 adoptions. “With moving day quickly approaching, the numbers will only increase unless some drastic measures are taken”, stated Alanna Devine, Acting Executive Director. “The growing numbers of cats also increases the risk of major disease outbreak, making healthy cats sick, and increasing euthanasia numbers”, added Devine.

As part of the solution, SPCA President, Nancy Breitman proposed calling a community meeting which would get the public to actively participate in solutions and hopefully serve to recruit both foster and adopting families. “It’s one thing to watch the news from your couch, and shake your head about the plight of the cats. It’s quite another experience to have the opportunity to directly participate in solutions”, stated Breitman.

The public meeting will be held with the goal of networking to find temporary and permanent homes for cats. The hope is that everyone who participates is either able to foster or adopt a cat, or can recommend others who will welcome cats into their homes.

“The SPCA belongs to the community. We’re optimistic that there are a great number of people who care and will attend the meeting with proposed solutions in hand”, added Marie-Claude Cadieux, SPCA Vice-President.

“The community as a whole must share responsibility for the fate of these cats”, saidLouise Allard, SPCA Volunteer Coordinator. “It’s simply no longer sufficient for the public to expect the SPCA to solve all the problems of the incredible amount of abandoned animals being dumped on our doorstep daily. We just can’t do it alone”.

The meeting will be held on Thursday, July 3rd, at the Atwater Library 1200 Atwater, at 7:00 PM. Please use the entrance on 4023 Tupper.